Bills Beat Blog

Bills place Alonso on Reserve/NFI list

by Joe Buscaglia,posted Aug 26 2014 3:19PM

Kiko Alonso is lost for the season, but that doesn't mean the Buffalo Bills aren't keeping their options open with the young linebacker.

Upon suffering a torn ACL during the nearly month-long break between mandatory minicamp and the start of training camp, the Bills issued a statement that said the injury occurred in a workout away from team facilities. That sealed his fate as having to be placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury list to start training camp.

The next step for the Bills on Tuesday was to not only disable him from the active roster, but to leave open the chance --albeit a very small percentage one -- for Alonso to return to practice within a specific window. The team announced that they placed the linebacker on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, which gives them a bevy of options.

First and foremost, if Alonso has a miraculous recovery, he would be eligible to return for a five week window starting after Week 6. Upon his first day of practice, the Bills would have three weeks to put him on the active roster. If he practices and they don't activate him, the Bills would either have to release him or place him on Injured Reserve.

If he is not cleared to practice, which is the more likely outcome due to the severity of the injury, the Bills can keep him on the Reserve/NFI list and per the Collective Bargaining Agreement and it wouldn't count for an accrued season in his career due to the injury happening away from an NFL sanctioned venue. That would mean that when his contract runs out after the 2016 season, Alonso conceivably would be a restricted free agent for having only three years of accrued service to his name.

Written in the same bylaws, the Bills would also have the option of compensating him for the year or not based on where and when the injury occurred. With Alonso now on the Reserve/NFI list, he no longer counts on the active roster. With the move, the Bills now have 74 active players.